Automobile top



May 15, 1923.

R. C. HOAG LAND AUTOMOBILE TOP LL m5 Filed Feb. 18

Patented May 15, 1923?.

UNTW Meme tent ROBROY C. HOAGLAND, OF CORTLAND, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO THE BREWER- TITCHENER CORPORATION, OF CORTLAND, NEW YORK, A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

AUTOMOBILE TOP.

Application filed February 18, 1919.

Z '0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, RonRoY C. HoAsLANp, of Cortland, in the county of Cortland, in the State of New York, have invented new and useful Improvements in Automobile Tops, of which the following, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to certain improvelflnments in vehicle tops.

. The practical manufacture of vehicle tops has divided itself into two distinct commercial lines-first, the bow-socket construction utilizing tubular sheet metal bowsockets and short wooden bows, and second, the slat-iron construction utilizing slat-irons as a skeleton structure and long wooden bows having their end portions secured to and extending along and substantially cover- ;ing the slat-irons.

The latter construction has been far more expensive to manufacture than the former due to the cost of obtaining suitable material and then properly treating the same to form long wooden bows having portions quite necessarily finished for design or ornamental purposes as the same are exposed to view in the completed top structure.

l urther,-' the loss in manufacture due to imperfections in the material, poor workmanship, mistakes and deformation by climatic and humidity variations is relatively great.

It is also of importance that the manufacture of the long wooden bow slat-iron construction has not lent itself to quantity production but has practically remained a hand performed operation for the skilled wood worker or artisan.

Altho, therefore, this character of top structure is at least'preferable from an ornamental or design. standpoint, its use has been materially restricted by the difficulty and expense of manufactur The object of the invention is, therefore, i to produce a vehicle top having practically all the advantages of the long wooden bow slat-iron construction including its ornamental and design features, while largely avoiding the difiiculties and high expense of manufacture as at present carried on.

The invention takes form in a slat-iron frame Work combined with wooden side braces adapted to be formed of suitable material finished in any desired way and attwo sides are of substantially the same con- Serial No. 277,782.

tached to the outer side of the slat-irons so as to cover the same and extending a suflicient distance along the slat-iron so that their upper ends are hid by the depending side or uarter of the top fabric.

The s at-irons extend beyond the upper termination of the side braces and a suitable bow of preferable relatively low grade material may have, its ends secured to opposite slat-irons so that said ends abut against the upper ends of the side braces and form a substantially symmetrical continuation thereof.

The bow, as stated, may be the usual ordinary wood bow of the bow-socket top construction, suitably covered with fabric in I the ordinary manner thereby avoiding any substantial change in present accepted methods of manufacture. a

A top structure so manufactured has substantially all the advantages of the long bow slat-iron construction without the attendant difiiculty and expense of manufacture.

Further the construction of this invention lends itself to quantity production. The manufacturer may construct the usual slatiron frame work and attach the finished wooden side braces thereto, and sell the same in that form, allowing the manufacturer of the top to apply the usual wooden bows in much the same manner as manufacture is carrying on to-day, in the quite general use of the bow-socket top construction.

Other objects and advantages will appear from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings in which,

Figure 1, is an elevation of one side of a top structure, it being understood that the struction.

Figure 2, is a cross-section on line 2--2 Figure 1.

Figure 3, is a cross-section on line 3-3 Figure 2.

Figure 4, illustrates a means for connecting the upper end of a side brace to the abutting end of the bow to prevent relative lateral movement of the parts.

Figure 5, shows a slightly modified form ofslat-iron in that the forging disclosed in the former figures is omitted.

As previously intimated the top structure of this invention is adapted to be used in connection with automobiles, motor boats and similar vehicles, in some cases requiring a top of considerable length and which may embody any suitable or desirable number of bows and supports for the same, the specific illustration of Figure 1, showing four bows, a rear bow 1,'a main bow 2--, a front bow -B, and an auxiliary bow 4-, these bows being respectively carried by slat-irons A description of the construction of the main bow and the construction of its supporting parts will serve as a description of the construction and arrangement of each of the other bows and its supporting parts.

The slat-irons -6 comprise in this illustration the forgings -7 preferably integrally united with the flat bodies 8 of the slat-irons, the upper ends 9 of which are curved or arched inwardly for contact with and securement to a somewhat U-shaped bow 1 0, bridging and connecting the opposite slat-irons. The ends ofthe bow --10- terminate at a point above the lower edge of the side or quarter of the top fabric which is secured to the bows and is indicated in dotted lines Figure l.

l/Vooden side braces 11 are secured upon the outer face of bodies 8- of the slat-irons and have their upper ends abutting against the respective lower ends of the bow 10 and preferably form a sub stantially symmetrical continuation of the bow. These wooden braces 11 may be formed of desired shape and are preferably of sufficient width to entirely cover the body of the slat-irons and may be secured thereto by means of screws and preferably extend downwardly to the points adjacent the lower ends of the slat-irons and abut against the parts l2-- of forgings -7, which parts project laterally and outwardly from the body 8 of the slat-irons 6 and are shaped to form'a substantially symmetrical continuation of the wooden braces T-he wooden side braces l1 may be formed of suitable high grade material finished in any desired manner, either'merely to bring out the natural grain of the wood as by varnishing or the like or by the application of stain to represent other characters of wood or material.

The upper ends of the wooden side braces may preferably terminate at substantially the base of the curved part 9 of the slatiron and this portion --9 lying beyond the side braces may be provided with suitable openings for the reception of screws 13- to secure the bow to its respective pair of slat-irons. The side braces combined with the bow render the slat-iron construction substantially rigid and of suflicient strength to efiiciently support the top structure.

Additional means may be provided for preventing relative lateral movement of the abutting ends of the bows and side braces and as illustrative of such a means, I have disclosed in Figure &, a dowel pin '14- having its opposite portions tightly fitted in recess in such abutting ends. Other means such as clamps maybe utilized for this purpose.

The bows l() are preferably provided with a suitable fabric covering as commonly used in the manufacture of the bow-socket top construction, and this fabric may extend beyond the opposite ends of the bow and coverthejoints between the opposite wooden side braces and the respective abuttingends of the bow. For the purpose of clearly showing the bows I have omitted illustrating this fabric covering but its application and use will be readily understood without physical illustration or further description.

In Figure 5, I have shown at --'15 a slightly modified form of slat-iron combined with a slightly modified wooden side brace -16 in that the forgings with their laterally projecting parts*l2 are omitted and the lower ends of the side bracesar'e tapered to emerge into the flat surface of the slat-iron.

It will be understood that my inventionisapplicable to all forms of vehicle tops; the one illustrated in Figure 1, being merely illustrative of a particular form to which the invention may be applied. In that par ticular illustration the slat-iron 6-- car ing the main bow has'pivoted to link 17, rule or otherwise st0p jointedto the slat-iron 7 The slat iron is pivoted to the intermediate part of link and suitable struts -18 l9 p i votally connect slat iron -6 toslat-iron and slat-iron 8 to slat-iron 7 respectively. This. construction is one of the well known one man top "man invention is applicable to all such tops. No one,,so far as I am aware, has ever utilized short wooden bows with a socketiess construction of top strengthened and '0rnamented by outwardly facing finished'wo'o'den brace members. E if Modifications and changes may be made in the details of construction, form and arrangement without departing the spirit of the invention as set forthan appended claims. i

hat I claim is: I

1. In a socketless vehicle top a pair of oppositely disposed slat irons having curved upper ends extending towards each other, a wooden frame member formed of -"high grade finished material extending 'fro'iilffa point adjacent the lower endofithe "respec tive slat irons to a point above the lower edge of the top quarter of the top,aii d a bow bridging the slat irons and "having its opposite'end connected to the upper curved ends of said slat irons respectively, and its end portions in substantial contact with the upper end portions of the wooden frame members respectively.

2'. In a socketless vehicle top, a pair of oppositely disposed slat-irons, a finished wooden brace member secured upon the outer face of each slat-iron and extending from a point adjacent the lower end of the respective slat-irons to a point above the lower edge of the top quarter and a bow bridging the slat-irons and having its opposite ends abutting against respective brace members and forming a substantial continuation of said brace members, means for securing the ends of said bow to the adjacent portions of the slat-irons respectively, and additional means connecting the end of the bow to the end of the adjacent brace member to prevent relative lateral movement of said parts.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand this fourteenth day of February, 1919.

ROBROY C. HOAGLAND.

Witnesses:

E. A. BREWER, JOHN H. GRUNMAN. 

